When it comes to buying personal care items, the costs can really add up, especially when you have a larger family. The way that I save on these items is by buying smaller sizes to reduce my out-of-pocket costs, and buying a 3 to 6 month supply when the item is on sale and at a stock-up price.
The items that I typically stock up on are body wash, toothpaste, floss, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, baby wash, baby shampoo, Q-tips, shave cream, razors, body lotion, mouthwash and deodorant. I know that may seem like a lot of items, but I organize my personal care products into small Rubbermaid containers and label them so I always know exactly how much I have so I don’t buy too much!
Let me give you a couple of examples. I typically buy all of my personal items at Target because I can usually save between 75 and 100%! I like Nivea body wash and I can usually get it for free or for just $.99 after stacking coupons at Target.
This is the breakdown of how this works. Target regularly prices Nivea body wash between $3.04 and $3.99. Typically, every few months Nivea will offer a $2 off coupon and on a VERY regular basis Target will offer a store coupon for $1 off. When I stack those two coupons together, I can get Nivea body wash for $.04 to $.99. This is a stock up price for me because I don’t live in a region where any of the stores double coupons. I will typically buy 3 or 4 bottles of Nivea at this time because that’s my personal 3 to 6 month stockpile amount.
Another example that is actually going on this week at Target is for trial-sized Degree men’s deodorant. This size lasts about a month and is great for my husband to just throw in his gym bag. Target.com released a $2 off 2 coupon with no size restrictions so I printed two from my computer. These two coupons will allow me to buy 4 travel size deodorants (4 month’s worth of deodorant). Free is of course always the final price I shoot for when buying personal products, but with some products, that’s just not feasible. I think four month’s worth of men’s deodorant for free using these two coupons is a fabulous deal! You might not like using the smaller sizes, but all the extra costs of personal products really do add up over the course of a year.
When it comes to brands, I know some of you are brand-specific. I understand completely since I will only use Degree deodorant, but for toothpaste I’m flexible between Colgate, Crest and Arm and Hammer. I know that I can almost always get a travel to medium size tube of toothpaste for free or for just $.50 with coupons at Target. My best advice is to buy 3 to 6 months’ worth when your favorite products are at a stock-up price and try to be flexible with your personal product brands.
